(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to escape systems for buildings and, more particularly, to a rapid escape system and method for rapid and safe individual occupant evacuation of high-rise structures.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Typically, tall buildings having elevator systems for movement between floors are not well-equipped to handle a mass exodus of building occupants in the event of an emergency, such as a fire, where the elevator systems are rendered non-functional or are not safe for use under such circumstances. Prior art or existing escape systems for low-rise buildings, other than stairs, commonly employ or rely upon friction braking to limit each person""s descent velocity in an escape tube. However, for tall buildings, in particular those greater than about 30 meters and reaching above 300 m high, simple friction braking using escape tubes are not feasible or practical, due to the heat generated from said friction and lack of capacity to manage the descent velocity, as well as the matter of evacuating large numbers of people from the building within a reasonable time.
Thus, there remains a need for a rapid escape system for buildings, in particular for tall or high-rise buildings, having a self-powered gravity-based escape system for the rapid evacuation of buildings when the elevator systems and/or stairways do not accommodate an orderly mass exodus of the building""s occupants safely within a short period of time.
The present invention is directed to a rapid escape system for buildings, in particular for high-rise buildings, which are primarily reliant on elevators for the movement of the building""s occupants between floors therein. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a self-powered gravity operated escape system, including an apparatus having a compact backpack/ride unit(s) fitted with a safety harness available to every building occupants of high-rise buildings or structures for the purpose of safe and rapid escape during an emergency, in particular when the elevator and/or stairs are not capable of handling an orderly evacuation or exodus of occupants.
The present invention is further directed to a method for using said rapid escape system and/or apparatus, in particular for rapid and safe individual occupant evacuation of high-rise structures.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a rapid escape system for buildings including at least one compact backpack/ride unit, preferably fitted with a safety harness or seat belt, each backpack/ride unit having a one active half of a tuned open frame alternating current (AC) permanent magnet linear electro-magnetic generator constructed of a copper wire wound iron stator(s), and a second half constructed of an active field of permanent magnets fixed top-to-bottom as a track running the full height of the building or structure, thereby providing a rapid escape system for individual occupants of a building.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a rapid escape system for buildings including at least one compact backpack/ride unit for transporting an individual between floors of a building, the backpack/ride unit being capable of adapting to a range of weights of an individual while providing a controlled, predetermined descent velocity. Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a rapid escape system for buildings including at least one backpack/ride unit wherein a multiplicity of individual building occupants may be dispatched downward in series while avoiding contact with each other throughout the descent.
Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a method for using a rapid escape system for buildings including the steps of providing at least one backpack/ride unit for use by an individual building occupant, activating the descent of the backpack/ride with an individual harnesses thereon for a controlled, predetermined descent velocity, and safely transporting the individual from an upper level of the building to a lower level at a constant velocity.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawings.